Services and Price List
It all starts when you purchase your guitar:
1) Straight out of the box from the factory: - then you will need a full setup - why? because manufacturers will set the action (string height) higher to prevent any fret buzz, and, in many cases, the Bridge Radius will not be set correctly to the Neck Radius. This will affect the playability and the intonation of your Guitar. Also, the neck relief may need adjusting, which I suspect will be necessary. Further, the nut action height will probably not be cut to the correct size…Now; a word of advice about the importance of correct nut adjustment:
1) It Governs many different things, the action at the first fret, whether it will be hard to play, or easy to play. It impacts intonation at the first fret, if the nut slots are too high, then, the first position can play sharp.
2) It governs tuning stability. If the slots are too tight, the strings will bind, causing erratic tuning. If the slots are too loose, string buzz can occur.
So, cutting the nut correctly is very important.
2) Second-hand: The previous owner may have had settings and string gauges that are not suitable for your style of playing, and the action may be too high or too low for you. Also, it may have been subject to storage and humidity variances. As for “New Guitars,” many of the above aspects must be addressed.
Now, just a couple of real examples as to why it is important to have a full setup:
A new Aria Pro II guitar straight out of the box came to me for a setup, on inspection, the first problem identified was that there was no relief in the neck which meant that the guitar was virtually unplayable following a correct setup as no action adjustment could be carried out until the truss rod was adjusted, (Hence once again the action had been setup high at manufacture).Two: The bridge radius was not set to the neck radius, so this would result in poor string alignment heights. Three: the nut slots were not cut at all, meaning that the nut had the initial string slots, but no adjustment had been made, and this would mean very high action and intonation problems in the first position. Four: the frets were unseated from the 12th fret to the 22nd fret, having tried to use the fret press to seat them, I eventually had to remove them, and noticed that the frets had not been glued in, (Note: Not all manufacturers glue the frets in, however the majority do). So this would normally be an extra cost. However, on this occasion, I did not charge as it was a manufacturing quality issue and not the client's fault. Five: The fretboard was exceptionally dry and needed 3 treatments of lemon oil to rehydrate it. This was no doubt a contributory factor to the frets unseating in conjunction with the original poor quality control during the fretting process. Six: Intonation had to be adjusted. Seven: Pickup heights were too low and had to be raised to correct heights.
A new ESP EC 1000 straight out of the box came for a full setup: 1) Too little neck relief and needed adjustment, 2) Bridge radius not set to fretboard radius, requiring adjustment, 3) The string action was very high and had to be adjusted to allow suitable playability. 4) Nut slots had to be cut to the correct size and height. 5) Intonation was way off and had to be adjusted correctly. 6) Pickups were too low and required raising.
So, as you can see, your guitar must be setup correctly. I strongly suggest that, when buying a guitar from your local musical instrument shop ask them for a full setup. If you are buying a guitar online from a guitar shop, ask for a full setup, otherwise, take it to your local reputable guitar tech for a full setup once you take delivery.
I will provide you with an exact quote for the work once I have seen the instrument and before any work commences.
Please note: There is a £25 minimum charge for guitar repairs.
No work will be done on the instrument without details of the job and the cost agreed with you in advance. Photographs of the instrument will be taken with you to identify any damage before any work is carried out.
Please ask me for a personal quotation if your required work is not listed. Please note: Refinishing, e.g., full/partial re-spray, will take approximately 6-8 weeks. This will be based on my hourly rate of £40 per hour plus the cost of any materials needed.
All work is to be paid for on completion of the job.
Price List
NOTE: All setups are to the manufacturer’s recommended specifications, NOT the setup out of the factory gate! All replacement parts are sourced from genuine OEM whenever possible.
Please note: Items not collected within 7 days from notification of job completion will incur £2 per day storage fees until the collection day. If the Item is not collected within 28 days, Elsdon Guitar Tech reserves the right to sell it to recoup the cost of the work, including costs incurred.
Guitar/Bass/Acoustic Set-Up and Repair
Please note: all setup prices include a new set of strings to either your brand/gauge/size or my recommendation.
Setup electric with Tremolo: £70
Setup Electric without tremolo: £60
Setup electric with Floyd Rose Tremolo: £70 (additional costs may be incurred if shims are required).
Setup acoustic: £60
Setup bass 4 string: £60
Setup Bass 5 string: £70.
Complete fret dress: (Excluding set up) From £70
Partial fret dress: (Excluding set up) From £50
Re-fret Rosewood unbound fingerboard: £ - contact me for details
Re-fret bound fingerboard: £ - contact me for details
Re-fret maple fingerboard: £ - contact me for details
Partial re-fret: £ - contact me for details
Reset neck angle: (bolt-on necks only) From £30
New nut (moulded/ Bone/Tusq) electric/acoustic/bass (excluding set up): £40 + cost of nut
New nut (uncut blank) electric/acoustic/bass (excluding set up): £40 + cost of nut
New nut brass (excluding set up): £40 + cost of nut
New bridge electric/bass (excluding set up): £40 + cost of parts
New saddle acoustic: £50 + cost of parts
Replacement pickup (same size, no routing): £30 each + cost of parts
Replacement pickup (different size requiring routing): £40 + cost of parts
Tremolo installation Floyd Rose / Bigsby / Wilkinson: £ - contact me for details
Broken headstock: £65 upwards (dependent on how badly broken)
General damage including cracks/dents/dinks/scratches etc.: £25 then the hourly rate
New pots/switches/sockets etc.:£30 plus parts then the hourly rate
Electrical repairs/modifications including rewires etc.:£30 plus parts then the hourly rate
Phone: + 44 07365 109796, ask for Kev Cooper.
Email: elsdonguitartech@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563787423146
5 Elsdon Road, Burton Manor, Stafford, Staffs ST17 9PY United Kingdom
